Don't Call Me Eskimo

Our morning began with a conversation between the mural artist and the elders who work at the Kitikmeot Heritage Society about what should be included in the mural. We had someone come to interpret the conversation, because although the ladies speak some English, speaking Inuinnaqtun is more efficient. The ladies mentioned some notable members of the community, a cooking tool called a kullik, the "sunburst" style of parka (with fur in a circle around the hood), an igloo, throat singers and the ulu. An ulu is an Inuit tool used for skinning and cleaning animals. A smaller version, the kamitak, is used for sewing and cooking. They work so much better than knives!

This is the style of ulu used in the Kitikmeot region

When I first started researching indigenous peoples of the North, I discovered this YouTube video, entitled "Don't Call Me Eskimo" (which I just re-watched, by the way...It's surprisingly comprehensive about life up here!). I have been wondering since that moment why Eskimo is a derogatory term, but I just asked Renee about it today. She explained that Eskimo used to be thought to mean "eaters of raw meat" used by a rival indigenous group (the Algonquin Indians). Also, it was associated with several northern people groups that were not closely related. Now, the people of Nunavut prefer to be called "Inuit," which means "people." To some, the term is more offensive than to others. Evidently, some of the elders call each other "eskimo" in jest, for example. However, I also read an article recently about an Inuk visiting New Zealand who protested the popular "Eskimo Lolly" candies (Inuit-shaped marshmallow candies on sticks).

After lunch, the shop teacher, a lively frenchman named Jacques, recruited me to make a canvas for the art teacher. He taught me how to make paper using newspaper pulp, and then I added cloth fibers to make it more canvas-like. To make paper, you need to secure gauze around a frame that has thick sides. Then, you pour the pulp (made of newspaper and water, adding construction paper if you want it colored) on the gauze and smooth out the pulp so it is even. The gauze allows the water from the pulp mixture to drip through and the frame gives the paper its shape. Then, you remove the frame and fold the edges of the gauze up over the paper. How you fold the gauze up is not important; the folding simply ensures the shape of the paper stays in place during the next step. Next, you use a rolling pin to press all of the water out of the pulp. Once you have gotten as much water out of it as possible, you let it dry overnight. Voila! Paper! If you want, you can push seeds into the pulp to give it more texture. Since I am attempting to make a canvas, we are going to try using cloth fibers to add more texture. We are still experimenting with the right color, but I should be able to finish it tomorrow.

Yellow pulp inside of a wooden frame wrapped with gauze

Tonight was the beginning of the Omingmak Frolics! I went to the games at Kullik Ilihakvik (Ilihakvik means "school" in Inuinnaqtun, so you don't say "Kullik Ilihakvik School"). The evening began with music, which sounded strangely similar to bluegrass! Then, there were some traditional games. One of them was a dice game where all of the children sat in a circle around some rubber band knots. Three children sat in the middle of the circle untying the knots while the rest of the children passed the dice around trying to roll a 1 or a 6. If they rolled those numbers, they took the place of one of the people sitting in the middle of the circle. The people who untie the knots win the game, so the kids are very eager to get to the middle! After the games was the drum dancing!

The dice game